Ranking NFL's five biggest challengers to Eagles prior to 2025 NFL Draft: Commanders among top contenders

We're almost two months removed from the Philadelphia Eagles rolling to a historic Super Bowl LIX victory against the Kansas City Chiefs. And it wouldn't be crazy to call the reigning champions the favorites to go the distance in 2025. They've retained much of their title-winning offensive core, including an all-world offensive line that saw star right tackle Lane Johnson land a contract extension this offseason.

Two months have also allowed the rest of the NFL to play catch-up. With the first big waves of free agency now in the rear view, quite a few clubs have undergone makeovers for the 2025 campaign, either via splashy signings, trades or coaching shakeups. Think the Chicago Bears, who reset their entire staff under new head coach Ben Johnson, then spent big to bolster Caleb Williams' offensive line.

That said, are any teams legitimately ready to challenge the Eagles? We'd still expect Philadelphia to be a top-tier contender coming off the Super Bowl run, but here are five candidates to challenge the Birds' throne after the initial movement of the veteran market:

Honorable mention

• Baltimore Ravens: Lamar Jackson is the NFL's closest version of Superman, and Derrick Henry remained a runaway train in 2024. Certainly they've got the upside to go all the way. Once again, however, Jackson doesn't have an eye-popping receiving corps; the aging DeAndre Hopkins is their "big-ticket" addition. The secondary has questions. And No. 8's yet to have a defining January run.
• Green Bay Packers: They made the playoffs in 2024 despite Jordan Love and basically his entire receiving corps playing through injuries all year. Matt LaFleur is a virtual lock to have this group playing January football, especially with Josh Jacobs' bruising ground game in tow. The only reason they're not in the top five? Their biggest "reinforcement" for Love's arsenal is Mecole Hardman.
• Houston Texans: The 2024 season was a real downer for C.J. Stroud, who went from sterling rookie to disheveled veteran in a hurry. Swapping Christian Kirk in for Stefon Diggs, then shuffling the majority of the O-line, isn't gonna win back many skeptics of the Texans' attack. But Stroud's poise should drive a rebound, and DeMeco Ryans' defense could be nasty with C.J. Gardner-Johnson on the back end.
• Kansas City Chiefs: Even though Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid are perennial locks to make noise in January, their lofty 2024 win total proved misleading on the biggest stage, where they were thoroughly and historically embarrassed by the Eagles. Since that loss, in which Mahomes had precious little space to operate, the Chiefs retained Trey Smith but also jettisoned their most accomplished interior blocker in Joe Thuney. Can Steve Spagnuolo's defense drive them again? Could a healthy Rashee Rice reinvigorate the offense? Sure. But this generation's dynasty suddenly feels a little more scrappy than special.  
• Minnesota Vikings: We're not talking enough about the complete lineup that surrounds their quarterback. J.J. McCarthy is obviously an unknown under center, provided the Vikings actually proceed with the 2024 first-rounder as their guy, but Kevin O'Connell now has a fortified front on both sides of the ball, with Will Fries and Javon Hargrave helping beef up the trenches.
• Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Maybe it's time we start giving Baker Mayfield some legitimate respect, now that he's thrown a combined 69 (!) touchdowns in two seasons with the Bucs. Yes, he's also gutsy in a dangerous way, with 26 picks over that same span. But he elevated an injury-riddled lineup in 2024, and if Chris Godwin can stay on the field this time, maybe they can steal the NFC South yet again.

5. Buffalo Bills

Barring a surprise trade or blockbuster draft pick, Josh Allen is once again set to rely on a so-so receiver group, which is betting on ex-Los Angeles Chargers reserve Joshua Palmer as the speed threat. Still, as long as Allen is upright, this team should be feisty. Sean McDermott's defensive front also has the potential to take a big leap if Joey Bosa can stay healthy as Greg Rousseau's new running mate off the edge.

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4. Detroit Lions

Sturdy as he's been in Motown, Jared Goff had a couple of concerning outings as the Lions failed to capitalize on the NFC's No. 1 playoff seed in 2024, including a turnover spree in the conference title game. Could the magic run out there, with coordinator Ben Johnson now gone? Possibly. Yet he's still got arguably the NFL's most explosive weaponry, plus a Grade-A front and ultra-aggressive head coach.

3. Los Angeles Rams

Fluctuating between rebuild and reload in recent years, the Rams are pretty dependent on Matthew Stafford staying healthy and productive at 37, or else it's Jimmy Garoppolo's show. The supporting cast is very enticing, though. Fresh off a scrappy playoff bid that almost saw their young, tenacious defense knock off the Eagles on the road, Davante Adams gives Stafford a savvy safety valve opposite Puka Nacua.

2. Cincinnati Bengals

This is all about Joe Burrow, really. He was MVP-caliber in 2024, but a porous defense basically overshadowed every one of his gargantuan aerial performances. That lineup remains iffy, but the "D" also can't be much worse than it was a year ago. Now that both Tee Higgins and Ja'Marr Chase are locked up financially, perhaps their elite offensive tandem will be more at ease, ready to return to a big stage.

1. Washington Commanders

They got trounced in the 2024 NFC title game, but the fact they made it there at all speaks to the franchise-altering talent of Jayden Daniels, whose rookie-year dynamism was even more pronounced than, say, that of C.J. Stroud the year prior. Now Daniels has a sturdier left tackle in Laremy Tunsil and a Swiss Army knife in Deebo Samuel to help fill out Dan Quinn's veteran-infused lineup.